Bending machines, and the like



March 8, 1966 M. MACCHINI 3,238,755

surname mcuzmas. AND THE LIKE Original Filed May 31. 1961 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 5 6 -l tor Fig.6.

March 8,1966 M. MACCHINI 3,238,755 7 BENDING MACHINES, AND THE LIKE Original Filed May 31. 1961 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Inventor:

MorloM cchini, wag/ Marsh 8, 1966 M. MACCHINI BENDING MACHINES. AND THE LIKE Original Filed May 31. 1961 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Inventor MorioMocchini,

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United States Patent 3,238,755 I BENDING MACHINES, AND THE LIKE Mario Macchini, 281 Shenstone Road, Riverside, 11]. Application Feb. 17, 1964, Ser. No. 345,471, which is a division of application Ser. No. 124,252, May 31, 1961, now Patent No. 3,124,877, dated Mar. 17, 1964. Divided and this application Apr. 8, 1964, Ser. No.

5 Claims. (Cl. 72-212) This invention relates to improvements in bending machines, and the like. Specifically, the invention relates to improvements in machines designed and intended for bending portions of previously produced units, through angles of substantially ninety degrees, to thus bring such so bent portions into positions parallel to each other, for the production of finally completed units. Still more specifically, the invention relates to improvements in machines designed and intended for bending the ears of previously produced units, which previously produced units include hubs with integrally formed ears extending out from the hub tops at right angles to the hub axis; the bending operation produced on each such previously produced unit bending such ears towards each other and into substantial parallelism with the hub axis of the hub of such unit.

Still more specifically the invention relates to a bending machine designed and constructed to receive forged units which include the hub elements and the two ears extending outwardly from the top of the hub in surface alignment with each other, so that, during the bending operation such two ears are brought into parallelism with each other and parallelism with the axis of the hub, with the ears separated from each other by a pre-determined and accurately controlled separation, to produce a universal joint yoke of pre-determined specification.

The forged units delivered into the bending machine may comprise units produced according to the teachings of Letters Patent of the United States, No. 3,124,877, issued to me March 17, 1964, Serial No. 124,252, filed May 31, 1961, of which application, application Serial No. 345,471, filed February 17, 1964 is a division; the present application being a division of said application, Serial No. 345,471, and thus entitled to the benefits of the original filing date, May 31, 1961. It will become apparent that the bending machines disclosed in the present application may be used for the bending of the ears of universal joint elements produced by other processes than that disclosed in such original application, Serial No. 124,252 (Patent No. 3,124,877), to produce universal joint yokes. For example, the universal joint yoke elements fed into the present bending machine, might be produced by other operations and processes than those disclosed in said original application and patent, when the so otherwise produced yoke elements include the hubs having the two outwardly extending ears at one end of the hub, with such ears lying in a substantially common plane at right-angles to the hub axis; so that the bending machine herein disclosed could then bend the two ears of such alternatively produced yoke elements, through ninety degrees of bend, to bring the ears into parallelism with each other and parallelism with the hub axis, and with the proximate faces of the ears at a specified separation from each other.

It is also apparent that the yoke elements fed to the bending machine of the present application may be formed of material other than steel or other ferrous material; provided only that such yoke elements when acted on by the present bending machine shall have sufficient malleability or workability to sufi er the changes of form produced by such bending operations, without material alteration of the strength and toughness of the yoke unit in manner to reduce the torque transmitting ability of the so-bent universal joint yoke. It is also evident that the yoke elements fed to the bending machine of the present application may be formed either with or without the deep hub recess (or recesses) disclosed in said original application, Serial No. 124,252 (Patent No. 3,124,877); and either while such yoke elements are hot (and thus comparatively soft) or cold (provided that the material from which such yoke elements are formed, and the grain flow thereof, are such as to suffer the needed deformations incident to the bending operation, without reduction of the stress-strain characteristics of the yoke material, and corresponding reduction of the strength of the completed yoke, to an excessive degree).

A prime object of the present invention resides in the provision of a bending machine construction such as to ensure firm control of the ears during the bending operation, to thus ensure close tolerance to pre-determined specifications of the dimensions of the to be completed yoke unit. In this connection it is important to ensure accurate spacing of the two ears from each other, face to face, when bent into parallelism; and also to ensure substantial equality of the proximate faces of the two ears from the projected axis of the hub. Accuracy of these two dimensional specifications is important in order that when two of the completed yokes are assembled together with the intermediate gimbal element of the universal joint, smooth running of the universal joint under transmitted torque shall occur. The bending machine structure hereinafter disclosed is well adapted to holding both of the ears under secure control during the operation of bending them from their original condition of parallelism and at right-angles to the projected axis of the hub, into their final position of parallelism with such hub axis.

Accordingly, the present bending machine structure includes a vertically reciprocable element to which there are pivoted two wing elements on pivotal axes normal to such reciprocable element, and equally spaced at opposite sides of the medial plane normal to such reciprocable element. These Wing elements are capable of swing between original positions wherein they lie in a common plane normal to the plane of reciprocation, and a rocked positon at rightangles to such original position, and wherein the wing elements are parallel to each other and parallel to the line of vertical reciprocation of the parts. Such Wing elements are provided in their upper faces with recesses exactly conforming to the perimeters of the two ears, and into which recesses the ears are initially seated while the wings are in their original positions above defined; the two wings being pivoted at separations from each other such that the ears will seat nicely in the recesses at such time; the wings also at such time being separated from each other a distance to nicely receive the hub portion of the yoke element between them, and with such hub hanging down between the proximate wing elements. Means are provided, in the form of stationary (but adjustable) cams beneath the wing elements and upon which such wing elements rest, so that as the pivotal axes on which the wing elements are carried, are forced down, the wing elements ride over the cams, thus causing the wing elements to swing towards each other, carrying the ears with them during such swings, until at completion of the operation the two Wings have been brought into exact verticality, with corresponding bending of the ears into their final and intended positions. Such downward movement of the pivotal points of the wings is conveniently produced by down drive force produced against the top of the hub; and the pivotal connections of the two wings to the vertically reciprocable element ensures exactly controlled downward movement of the wings in unison during the bending operation.

When the downward movement above explained has been completed, with the wings and the ears now exactly vertical, it is possible to cause the yoke unit to move directly down, the ears then slipping down from the vertically swung wings, and from the wing recesses in which such ears have been carried.

At the completion of such downward movement, the separation between the proximate faces of the now bent cars is exactly ensured, as follows: when the downward pressure or drive against the top of the hub is produced by a vertically movable plunger, such plunger should be of lateral dimension not greater than the final separation between the proximate ear surfaces. By using a plunger Whose lateral dimension is exactly equal to the final separation between such proximate ear surfaces, it is evident that control of the ears is ensured during the final phases of the operation.

At completion of the downward movement of the pivotal points of the wings, the thus completed yoke unit may, as already stated, drop down when released from the wings. But such free fall may and usually will be interfered with by frictional engagement of the ears with the wings and the recesses of such wings. Therefore, if up movement of the pivotal points of the wings be now produced, it is evident that the completed yoke may and probably will be raised until some force is encountered to restrain the up movement of the yoke unit, to break such frictional engagement. Accordingly, I have provided simple means to engage the lower portion of the hub and prevent upward movement thereof when the upward movement of the pivotal points of the wings commences. Such frictional engagement will thus be broken, and the completed yoke will be allowed to drop down away from the bending machine to a suitable receptacle.

I have also herein disclosed a structure whereby the lateral separation of the two cams from each other may be adjusted to enable accommodation of yoke units of varying sizes for the bending operations. Such lateral adjustability of the cams also makes it possible to bring both cams into exactly correct lateral positioning and spacing from the medial plane extending vertically through the machine.

Other objects and uses of the invention will appear from a detailed description of the same, which consists in the features of construction and combinations of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 shows a front elevation of a completed universal joint yoke wherein the two cars have been bent upwardly and into parallelism by use of a bending machine incorporating the features of the present invention;

FIGURE 2 shows a right-hand elevation view corre sponding to FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 shows a top plan view corresponding to FIGURES 1 and 2;

FIGURE 4 shows a bottom view corresponding to FIGURES 1, 2 and 3;

FIGURE 5 shows a vertical section taken on the lines 55 of FIGURES 3 and 4, looking in the directions of the arrows;

FIGURE 6 shows a vertical section taken at rightangles to the section shown in FIGURE 5; and FIGURE 6 is a section taken on the lines 66 of FIGURES 1, 3, 4 and 5, looking in the directions of the arrows;

FIGURE 7 shows a plan view of one of the unit elements produced by a forging or other forming operation to the point wherein the ears extend outwardly from the top of the hub at right-angles to the projected axis through such hub; this figure showing the plan view of the yoke element in its condition prior to performing the bending operation produced by the bending machine disclosed in the present application;

FIGURE 8 shows a front edge view corresponding to FIGURE 7;

FIGURE 9 shows a right-hand elevational view corresponding to FIGURES 7 and 8;

FIGURE 10 shows a vertical cross-section taken on the lines 1010 of FIGURES 7 and 8, looking in the directions of the arrows:

FIGURE 11 shows a front elevational view of a pressing die unit or bending machine into which the yoke element shown in FIGURES 7, 8, 9 and 10 is set and operated upon [for accurately bending the ears up into position parallel to each other and parallel to the axis of the shaft which is connected to the hub of the yoke unit, to complete the forming of such yoke unit (with the exception of any heat treatment and/or normalizing operation which may be desired) and the bending machine unit shown in this figure is constituted to enable delivery of the finally formed yoke units downwardly to a suitable receptacle by a straight-line travel operation;

FIGURE 12 shows a plan view corresponding to FIG- URE 11, one of the yoke elements of the form shown in FIGURES 7, 8, 9 and 10 being shown in place in both FIGURES 11 and 12; and in FIGURE 12 I have not shown the interconnection between the presser plunger and the vertically movable slide plate which carries the pivotal connections of the wings (shown in FIGURES 11 and 12), in order to avoid confusion in the showing of other elements of such plan view;

FIGURE 13 shows a fragmentary cross-section taken on the line 1313 of FIGURE 11, looking in the direction of the arrows; and

FIGURE 14 shows a plan view of one of the wings by which the yoke ears are bent into the position of parallelism with the axis of the shaft connected to the hub, while retaining such ear firmly under control during the bending operation.

Referring first to FIGURES 7, 8, 9 and 10, I have therein shown a typical T-shaped'unit including the vertically extending central body portion 25, and the two outwardly extending ears 26 and 27 integrally joined to the top of such central portion by reversely curved sections, 53 and 55 Such ears as thus shown lie within a common plane normal to the central axis of the body portion 25, extending outwardly equal distances from such central axls.

The above briefly described unit may comprise a portion of a finished unit wherein the two cars have been bent upwardly in such manner that the proximate faces of the so-bent ears lie equidistant from the projected central axis, thus producing a unit wherein the two sides or halves are both of the same contour and size, producing a balanced unit of the form shown in elevation in FIGURE 1 and elsewhere. The bending machine presently to be described in detail is designed and intended primarily for producing the operation of thus bending the ears from the form shown in FIGURES 7 and 8, to the form shown in FIGURES 1 and 5, and elsewhere herein.

Specifically, the present bending machine is designed to transform the unit of FIGURES 7 and 8, which will, for convenience herein be termed the yoke element, into the unit of FIGURES 1 and 5, herein also conveniently termed the yoke, since such yoke as a completed unit includes the upstanding and parallel ears, when such yoke is used as one of the elements of a conventional universal joint. The details respecting the process by which the unit of FIGURES 7 and 8 has been produced require no special description here since the parent application, S.N. 124,252 and Letters Patent No. 3,124,877, fully describe the desired qualities of such a power transmitting universal joint yoke, and claim such process; and also since my copending application, Serial No. 345,471, filed February 17, 1964, as a division of such parent application and Letters Patent, also include statements respecting the details of such process, and the qualities of the yoke as an article of manufacture, and claim such article. It is, however, here mentioned that such process results in the production of the yoke element shown in FIGURES 7, 8, 9 and 10, including a detailed explanation of the grain fiow lines through the hub and the roots of the ears, whereby the torque transmitting qualities and the strength of the completed yoke are greatly benefited and improved, as compared to torque transmitting universal joint yokes produced by processes which do not include certain of the specifications set forth and claimed in such parent case, for yokes of comparable sizes produced by the process set forth and claimed in such parent case, instead of being produced by earlier known processes. I call attention to the foregoing facts at this point, since the bending operations produced by use of the machines herein to be fully described, do not disturb or reduce the beneficial effects produced by such parent case process.

It is also here mentioned that the yoke element shown in FIGURES 7 and 8 of this case is the same as that yoke element produced during the forging operations of that parent case; so that, insofar as concerns the forging operations of that process, such forging operations result in production of the unit shown in such FIGURES 7 and 8 of the present case. The bending operations to bring the ears into the form shown in FIGURES 1 and 5 of this case may then he produced either while the so forged unit is hot (e.g., of the order of 1500-1600 degrees F.), or after the yoke unit so forged has been allowed to cool, provided that the characteristics of the material from which the unit is made, the size of the unit, .and other physical qualities of the so-forged yoke element are such that the bending may be produced at such lowered temperature without damage to the final specified qualities of the universal joint yoke.

In this connection examination of FIGURE 7 in particular will show that the locations 5 31 and 55 where the bending will occur, are curved or rounded in reverse curves of considerable radius, so that the bends produced at such locations will avoid sharp changes of radius, with minimum disturbance of the grain of the metal or other material at such locations. The wings of the bending machine are of contour to accept such curved portions of the yoke element and to produce good support thereof, during the bending operations.

Reference is made to FIGURES 11, 12, 13 and 14 lshowing the construction of the bending machine as folows:

This machine includes a vertically slidable plate 86 located at the back of the machine, and guided in its vertical movements by the side guide bars 87 and 88 secured to a suitable stationary frame or supporting element, not shown. Such slide plate has pivotally connected to it the two wing elements 89 and 90 at the left-hand and the right-hand sides of the vertical medial line of such slide plate. Such pivotal connections are shown as comprising the stilf studs 91 and 92 carried by the slide plate, and on which the wing elements are respectively pivoted to permit rock of such wing elements through substantially ninety degrees of rock from the full line positions of such wings, shown in FIGURE 11, to the dotted line positions also shown in such figure, such dotted line positions being numbered with the sufiixes a. Conveniently, such wings are provided with the rearwardly extending portions at their pivoted sections which are proximate to each other, so that the ear supporting portions of such wings are convenient of access for insertion of the forged straight ear units into working position, preparatory to the actual bending operation to be performed. Such wings are provided in their forward portions with the recesses 93 and 94- into which the ears of the forged unit are inserted and are retained during the bending operation. Such wings are shown in FIGURE 12 in their horizontal positions, and one of the forged units is shown in place with its ears inserted into such recesses, and FIGURE 11 also shows such condition of the parts, by the full lines.

Beneath each of the wings there is provided and supported by suitable means, a cam shaped block on and against which such wing rests and is guided during the bending operation. These are the blocks 95 and 96. Each includes an inner end portion having a top surface of generally circular form, 95* and 96", respectively, and also includes an outwardly extending supporting portion, 95 and 96 which is laterally adjustable with respect to a stationary supporting bar 97 or 98, to which such portion 95 or 96* is connected by the screws 99 and 100, extended through the slots 101 and 102 formed in such extension portions. By this arrangement such cam blocks may be laterally adjusted to calibrated positions with respect to each other, and with respect to the wings which they support, to produce the intended operations, presently to be explained.

It is here noted that with the slide plate 86 in its raised position, with the wings correspondingly raised to their highest position (shown in FIGURES 11 and 12), such wings extend outwardly into horizontal positions, aligned with each other, and in position to receive the ears of the forged unit, as best shown in FIGURE 11. During the downward movement of the plate 86 such wings ride over the curved cam surfaces towards each other and into vertical alignment, and into parallelism with each other, as shown at 8 9 and in dotted lines in FIGURE 11. Such downward and rocking movement of the wings serves to bend the two ears upwardly and towards each other into the desired parallelism of such wings as shown by the dotted lines 26 and 27 in FIGURE 11. This operation may occur while the forged unit is hot.

The downward movements of the plate 86, the wing elements 89 and 90, and the supported yoke unit, are produced by downward pressure exerted against the top surface of the hub portion of the yoke unit, conveniently by the vertically movable presser bar 103 whose upper end 104 is conveniently connected to a suitable vertically reciprocable, power driven unit, such as a hydraulic cylinder, with provision for raising and lowering such cylinders piston or plunger by hydraulic means, and under suitable valve controls. Such specific vertical drive means for the plunger element 103 is not shown in the drawings, since such reciprocating means are well known in the arts, and I do not intend to limit myself to any specific means of drive of such plunger 103.

Such plunger 103 should have its lower end of contour to engage the top surface of the hub portion of the yoke unit around the pierced shaft opening, previously formed in such hub portion, and without damage to the hub portion due to the pressure exerted by downward depression of such plunger. In this connection it is noted that during the bending of the ears towards each other their top surfaces become proximate to each other, approaching each other until completion of the bending into the vertical ear positions. At such time the proximate surfaces of the ears have approached to each other into the position shown in FIGURES 1, 3 and 5. Accordingly, the lateral dimension of the plunger element, 103, being the diameter of such plunger element when it is circular as shown, must not be greater than the final distance between the proximate faces of the two cars. In FIGURE 11, wherein the bent form of the yoke unit, and the final positions of the ears, are all shown by the dotted lines, it is seen that such ears have come just into engagement with the opposite sides of the plunger, being the terminal position of the bending operation.

It is also seen, from examination of FIGURE 11, that at the time the ears have completed their bend-ing and come into engagement with the opposite surfaces of the plunger 103, the wings have completed their ride down over the cam surfaces, and have come into a vertical position. Accordingly, when this condition of the parts has been attained, the formed yoke unit may drop straight down from the wings, for delivery to a convenient receptacle, since the wing recesses have now come into posi tion with their notches 93 and 94 open at their lower ends, and thus the ears are enabled to slip down from further engagement with such recesses. All such disengagements may occur unless restrained by frictional or other engagements of the parts. In actuality, the frictional engagement of the ears with the plunger will usually prevent free descent of the completely bent yoke unit, so that disengagement of the plunger from the ears must be provided for. For this purpose I have provided the two dogs 105 and 106, pivoted to brackets 107 and 108 extending down from the cam units, the pivotal axes being shown at 109 and 110, respectively. The inner proximate ends of these dogs are serrated in cam fashion to engage the opposite sides of the hub 28 of the yoke unit during the last portion of the descent of such yoke unit under drive of the plunger. Springs 111 and 112 serve to urge such dogs into good engagement with the hub portion, and the dogs will .thus hold the completed yoke unit against rise of the plunger when such plunger is raised by the stated power mechanism. Thus, as such plunger rise progresses and the frictional engagement between the plunger and the cars is broken, the yoke unit will be released from further restraint and will drop down away from the bending machine. Further exploration of the foregoing operations and relationships will reveal the following:

With the vertically movable plate 86 in its raised position, shown in FIGURE 11, downward movement of such plate must be accompanied by rock of both of the wings, the wings 89 rocking clockwise about its stud 91, due to engagement of the under face of such wing with the cam element 95*, and the wing 90 rocking counterclockwise about its stud 92, due to engagement of the under face of such wing with the cam element 96 But, with the forged yoke unit set into place with its ears in the recesses 93 and 94 of the two wings, any downward movement of the plate 86 (and the studs 91 and 92) can only occur by production of such wing rocking movements, during which the outer ends of the recesses 93 and 94 must approach each other; and since the outer end portions of the cars should and normally do nicely engage such outer recess end portions, it is evident that downward movement of the plate 86 and the studs, is prevented, unless bending of the ears immediately commences, to enable approach of the ear ends (and the outer end portions of the recesses) toward each other. However, the mere weight of the plate 86 and connected parts is not sufiicient to produce such action; but more importantly, such bending cannot occur without simultaneous descent of the hub portion of the yoke unit, since the outer end portions of the wings are being sustained by the stationary cam elements 95 and 96 about which outer wing ends pivoting of the wings must occur during descent of the parts, in the initial stages of such descent. It is thus necessary to apply a downward driving force against the central or hub portion of the yoke unit, to bring about the desired deformations of the ear connections to the hub, under the restraining forces developed by the retaining of the ears within the recesses. The plunger 103 provides such downward force.

Having provided means to produce downward drive of the hub portion of the yoke unit, it also becomes necessary to ensure a coordinated downward movement of the plate 86. In the early stages of the downward movement of the hub portion a downward drive will be exerted against the portions of the wings 89 and 90 which lie beneath the shoulder connections of the ears with the hub portion of the yoke unit, since any bleeding of the ears in the early stages of the downward movement will produce only slight changes of the vertical positions of the underfaces of the ears close to the connections of such ears with the hub portion. Accordingly, during such early stages of the descent the plate 86 will be driven (through the studs 91 and 92) down in substantial harmgny with the downward drive of the hub portion by such plunger 103. As such downward movement continues, however, with the wings and ears rocked more and more away from their original positions, and more and more towards each other, it will be seen that the rate of downward movement of the plunger and the hub will exceed that of the studs and the plate 86, since the distance between the locations 113 and 114 of the wings remains greater than the lateral distance between the studs, and the wings are pivoting about changing locations on the cams and 96. Accordingly, there will commence a tendency for the wings and the ears to descend slower than the hub itself.

Examination of FIGURE 11 will show that when the downward movement of the parts has been completed, to bring the ears into their finally desired conditions (shown by the dotted lines 26 and 27 in FIGURE 11), the actual descent of the upper face of the hub (and of the plunger) is the same as the actual descent of the studs. To ensure that such final condition shall be produced I have provided a connection between the plunger and the plate 86 such that both these elements shall move down together. For this purpose I have provided the rearwardly extending lug 115 on the plunger which extends over the upper edge of the plate 86 (see FIG. 13); and an adjustable stop screw 116 is threaded through such lug into position to engage the upper edge of the plate 86 and thus produce down drive of the plate harmoniously with the downward movement of the plunger.

Conversely, when upward movement of the plunger commences it is desirable to allow the plate 86 and studs 91 and 92 to lag behind the rise of the plunger for a small distance, to ensure that the plunger shall break its frictional engagement with the proximate faces of the ears, it being noted that the rise of the formed yoke is now prevented by engagement of the dogs and 106 with the hub of the yoke unit. To effect this result I have made the following provisions:

The arms 117 and 118 extend laterally from the lug to positions over the plate 86 far enough separated from each other to ensure against rock of such plate about an axis extending through the plate, as such rock would produce a serious binding of the plate in its guide bars 87 and 88. I then provide the studs 119 and 120 extending up from the plate and through openings of the arms to positions above the arms, with heads on such studs to be engaged by the arms during the rising movement of the plunger, with corresponding rise of the plate 86. But such heads are so positioned as to provide for a desired amount of lost-motion prior to engagement of the arms with the heads, and thus to ensure for breakage of the frictional engagement between the proximate faces of the ears and the sides of the plunger.

When the bending operation is produced on hot units (hot enough to enable the bending of the ears to be produced without damage to the physical structure of the yoke unit), such units may be at a temperature of substantially 1500-1600 degrees F., when the yoke element comprises steel of the characteristics of S.A.E., 1146 carbon steel, or steel of the characteristics of S.A.E., 1045 carbon steel. I have pointed out, however, that insofar as concerns the bending machine and its operations, the yoke may be formed of various other materials which possess the needed malleability characteristics to enable production of the bending operation without such detriment to the roots of the ears as would disqualify the completed yokes for service as power torque transmitting operations, when the yokes comprise portions of a universal joint.

Reference to FIGURE 7 shows the recesses 52*, 53

lower end portion properly curved to accommodate the form of the surface which will be produced by such bending, serves to prevent such crimping, and the recesses provide the spaces into which the laterally moved material may shift. Examination of FIGURE 7 shows the dotted curves 121 adjacent to each of the sides of the ears 26 and 27. These indicate the outer faces of recesses 52 53 54 and 55a, but of smaller size than indicated by the full line showings previously referred to. The sizes and contours of the recesses may be made to conform to the requirements of the yoke unit in question.

Examination of FIGURE 11 shows the rounded portions of the recesses in the top surfaces of the wing elements. These rounded portions, 113 and 114, are contoured to the lower surfaces of the yoke units which are to be operated on by the particular bending machine, so as to afford good support of the root portions of the ears of such yoke units during the bending operation; and study of that figure will also show that the lower end portion of the plunger also includes rounded surfaces between the vertical side faces of the plunger and the lower rounded surface of such plunger. Accordingly, as the bending operation proceeds the upper surfaces of the roots connecting the ears with the hub of the yoke unit, are also afforded good support during the bending operation at their upper faces, to thus ensure proper rounded top surfaces for the ear roots, as shown in FIGURE 1.

I claim:

1. A bending machine constituted to bend the two outwardly extending ears of a T-shaped work body into parallelism with the stem of the T, and with the proximate and opposing surfaces of said ears a pre-determined separation from each other wherein the stem of the T comprises the hub portion of the work body and the ears comprise lateral extensions of the top of the hub portion; and a plunger in vertically movable alignment with the stem of the T; and means to support said plunger during its movement in such alignment; wherein the lateral dimension of the plunger is substantially equal to said pre-determined separation of the cars from each other; said ibending machine including two wing elements, pivotal means to support said wing elements for coordinated movement between an initial position in which the wings are in horizontal surface alignment with each other, and a finally ear bending moved position of the wings in which the wings are in vertical positions facing each other and separated from each other said distance corresponding to the pre-determined separation of the ears from each other and substantially equal to said lateral dimension of the plunger; said wings having their upper surfaces of contour to receive the two ears and to support the bottom surfaces and the opposing side edges and the end edge of each ear during coordinated movement of the wings from said initial position to said finally ear bending moved position wherein the means to support the wing elements for said coordinated movement, comprises a vertically movable wing carrier, and wherein the pivotal means to support said wing elements for coordinated movement between the initial position in which the wings are in horizontal surface alignment with each other, and the finally ear bending moved position in which the wings are in vertical positions facing each other, comprises pivotal connections between the vertically movable wing carrier and each of the wings; together with means to cause the wings to rock on their pivotal connections through an angle of substantially ninety degrees during the downward movement of the vertically movable wing carrier; wherein said means which causes the wings to rock comprises a laterally adjustable cam element in proximity to each of the wing elements and in camming engagement with such wing element, and constiuted to cause such wing element to rock during the downward movement of the vertical movement of the wing carrier; and means to secure each wing in its laterally adjusted position.

2. A bending machine constituted to bend the two outwardly extending ears of a T-shaped work body into parallelism with the stem of the T and with the proximate and opposing surfaces of said ears a pre-determined separation from each other; said bending machine in cluding a vertically reciprocable element, means to guide said element in its vertical reciprocations, oppositely disposed wing elements pivotally connected to the reciprocable element at the opposite sides of the vertical medial plane which is normal to the reciprocable element and at equal spacings from said medial plane, a stationary cam block corresponding to each of the wing elements, means to support each cam block stationary, the under surfaces of the wing elements resting on and supported by the corresponding cam blocks; the Wing elements being rockable between first defined substantially horizontal positions in which they are horizontally aligned with each other, being the raised positions of the vertically reciprocable element and the raised positions of connected parts, and second defined substantially vertical positions of the wing elements in which said wing elements are parallel to each other, the surfaces of both of the wing elements remote from the cam blocks being constituted to receive the outwardly extending ears of the T-shaped work body, and being constituted to receive between them the stem of the T-shaped work body during down travel of the reciprocable element and the wing elements; together with a vertically reciprocable plunger element in vertical alignment with the stem of the T-shaped work body and constituted to exert down drive against the top of the T- shaped work body to force said body downwardly, with simultaneous bending of the cars into parallelism with the stern of the T-shaped work body.

3. A bending machine as defined in claim 2, wherein the means to support each cam block stationary includes means to adjust the positions of such cam block, laterally with respect to the medial plane and to lock such cam block in such adjusted position.

4. A bending machine for bending the ears of a steel unit which steel unit includes a body hub having a shaft receiving opening extending axially of said hub, and which steel unit includes oppositely disposed ears integrally connected to one end of such hub at opposite sides of said shaft receiving opening, said ears including substantially flat portions lying in a common plane normal to the hub opening axis, said bending machine including a vertically reciprocable wing carrier plate, means to guide said plate during its vertical movements, a pair of companion rockable wing elements at the front of said carrier plate and symmetrically located at opposite sides of the vertical medial plane through said carrier plate, pivotal connections between the proximate end portions of the wing elements and the carrier plate establishing axes of rock of the wing elements with respect to the carrier plate, said pivotal connections lying in a common horizontal plane and the wing elements being rockable through substantially ninety degrees between first defined horizontally aligned position in which the wings extend outwardly away from each other, and second defined vertical positions in which they extend from their pivotal connections upwardly in planes parallel to each other, the proximate pivoted ends of the wing elements being separated from each other a distance to accommodate the .body hub portion of the steel unit when the wing elements are aligned with each other in their first defined positions with the under faces of the ears in substantially flat engagement with the top surfaces of such wing elements, stationary cam elements at opposite sides of the vertical medial plane through the carrier plate and beneath the respective wings, said cam elements being of contour to cause the wing elements to rock from their first defined horizontal positions to their second defined vertical positions during downward movement of the carrier plate, a vertically 1 1 1 2 movable plunger element in alignment with the position References Cited by the Examiner of the steel unit hub and engageable against the top of UNITED STATES PATENTS the hub to force the steel unit downwardly by downward presser movement, and connections between said plunger 1161012 6/1871 Beecher 153 12 element and the carrier plate constituted to cause down- 5 2,887,141 5/1959 Bower et a1 ward and upward movements of the carrier plate during FOREIGN PATENTS like movements of the presser element. 1,147,691 6/1959 Franca' 5. A bending machine as defined in claim 4, wherein 1,037,814 8/1958 Germany.

the connections between the plunger element and the carrier plate include lost motion elements. 10 CHARLES W. LANI-IAM, Primary Examiner. 

1. A BENDING MACHINE CONSTITUTED TO BEND THE TWO OUTWARDLY EXTENDING EARS OF A T-SHAPED WORK BODY INTO PARALLELISM WITH THE STEM OF THE T, AND WITH THE PROXIMATE AND OPPOSING SURFACES OF SAID EARS A PRE-DETERMINED SEPARATION FROM EACH OTHER WHEREIN THE STEM OF THE T COMPRISES THE HUB PORTION OF THE WORK BODY AND THE EARS COMPRISE LATERAL EXTENSIONS OF THE TOP OF THE HUB PORTION; AND A PLUNGER IN VERTICALLY MOVABLE ALIGNMENT WITH THE STEM OF THE T; AND MEANS TO SUPPORT SAID PLUNGER DURING ITS MOVEMENT IN SUCH ALIGNMENT; WHEREIN THE LATERAL DIMENSION OF THE PLUNGER IS SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL TO SAID PRE-DETERMINED SEPARATION OF THE EARS FROM EACH OTHER; SAID BENDING MACHINE INCLUDING TWO WING ELEMENTS, PIVOTAL MEANS TO SUPPORT SAID WING ELEMENTS FOR COORDINATED MOVEMENT BETWEN AN INITIAL POSITION IN WHICH THE WINGS ARE IN HORIZONTAL SURFACE ALIGNMENT WITH EACH OTHER, AND A FINALLY EAR BENDING MOVED POSITION OF THE WINGS IN WHICH THE WINGS ARE IN VERTICAL POSITIONS FACING EACH OTHER AND SEPARATED FROM EACH OTHER SAID DISTANCE CORRESPONDING TO THE PRE-DETERMINED SEPARATION OF THE EARS FROM EACH OTHER AND SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL TO SAID LATERAL DIMENSION OF THE PLUNGER; SAID WINGS HAVING THEIR UPPER SURFACES OF CONTOUR TO RECEIVE THE TWO EARS AND TO SUPPORT THE BOTTOM SURFACES AND THE OPPOSING SIDE EDGES AND THE END EDGE OF EACH EAR DURING COORDINATED MOVEMENT OF 